“Selfless Acts in Health Care” – Did you read it?

Lawyer, writer and photographer Melissa DeCastro celebrates healthcare workers in a piece for the Huffington Post. We thought you’d appreciate what she has to say about YOUR job! See if you agree with her in the excerpts below:

She opens by saying:

Quarantine. The word has been said and written and discussed so much in the past few days, it has become part of our vocabulary. I grew up surrounded by medical terms. My father is a doctor, my mother a nurse, and so somewhat foreign terms were a part of life. The endless news discussing the 21 days of quarantine concerning Ebola made me remember my many years of Latin as well. The word quarantine has in its roots the word 40. Originally, a quarantine was a 40-day period. Forty days without contact from the outside world, without the joys of the everyday. Although, for this instance, the quarantine period has been set at 21 days, it is still an understandable burden to bear. The sacrifices made by health care workers are undoubtedly commendable, and we as a nation are so lucky to have the men and women who are willing to take care of those in need even when it puts their own well being and health at risk.

How it relates to recent events:

We have, as a nation, been glued to the news of the recent Ebola outbreak. Every night there are ambulances and planes to watch. We are watching compassion at its best. Often in our everyday lives, we run the risk of catching a cold or getting sick, but these men and women in the health care field are consciously taking the risk of their own certain well being in order to help others.

The bottom line:

We often recognize certain professions as being more dangerous than others. The idea of running into a burning building or being faced with armed criminals is a risk we can readily understand, but being a health care worker is less tenable to us in the risks that they too face every day. For it is not often that they can see what they need to avoid. We owe health care workers our gratitude and respect for being willing to care for us when we need it most.

Read her full story over on the Huffington Post. Then, in the comments below, tell us what you think about the post, and whether or not you agree with her.